Worms update

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Worms update

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Hedonists

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 95
Location: Romford, Essex.

Posted: Sun Aug 21, 05 3:23 am Post subject: Worms update

We had a couple of good posts earlier in the year regarding vermicomposting. Having posted a fair amount of detailed information about my own setup:

https://forum.downsizer.net/viewtopic.php?p=40290#40290

https://forum.downsizer.net/viewtopic.php?p=57551#57551
(For anyone interested in worms, there's a lot of good info in both of these discussions)

I thought I'd update my own experience in the hope of encouraging a few others to do the same.

In the second post I stated that I wasn't going to feed my worms for "for the next nine to twelve months". Hollow words! I think a combination of not feeding them, and (more importantly) the warmer weather caused the worms to reduce the material by about one third in only three weeks!

Since then they've continued to be most voracious in their munching. Despite me having 'overfilled' the bin last autumn, at which time it was three quarters full of compost. My bin is now no more than a third full of 'black gold', which has the most wonderful clean earthy smell to it.

The number of worms and level of worm activity, compared to that up until about the middle of May, has increased incredibly. I now have so many medium sized worms that I'm seriously considering dividing them, and setting up a second bin prior to autumn.

Second bin or not, I shall soon start loading my bin with garden waste. I believe this *might* actually help my worms suffer the winter (their bin is kept outside all year round). Although they barely touch the compost during the colder months, they certainly make light of it once things warm up.

I'm only about half way through my second year with worms. So I'd really like to hear about other people's experiences and observations.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45431
Location: Essex

Posted: Sun Aug 21, 05 7:46 am Post subject:
I might get worming, my compost takes far too long to rot down.

longers

Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Posts: 4

Posted: Fri Aug 24, 07 7:07 pm Post subject:

Hello, this is my first post on here.

I found this place through cab posting links on CycleChat.

I started a wormery 3 or so weeks ago and followed the instructions about not overfeeding to begin with, I probably didn't follow them very well and might have overdone it.

My problem is I have got blue mould and uneaten scraps everywhere. I didn't want to get involved and disturb the worms so early but I fear for their health.

There was a couple of threads which cab linked to which I read but there is not much talk of mould.

Can anybody advise me please?

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Fri Aug 24, 07 7:53 pm Post subject:

I don't think a bit of mould will hurt them. Put some shredded paper in and forget about them for a few weeks.

My wormery is painfully s l o w, but it's partly me, because I don't look after them very well - they do seem to survive quite well though, despite having to live outside and only being fed once a month in the winter (and in the summer if I forget) Keep them out of the sun and make sure they don't dry out or freeze. Don't expect miracles, but a tray of super compost for your most special plants and plenty of liquid feed for everything in pots, is worth it. Probably you would get two trays if you can keep them a bit warmer during the winter, and you remember to feed them more often. Supposedly you can put cooked waste in there, but I've never tried it - that would be a good reason to keep them too.

On the whole, they are trouble free pets!

(Oh welcome in, by the way!)

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Sat Aug 25, 07 8:40 am Post subject:

longers wrote:

Hello, this is my first post on here.

I found this place through cab posting links on CycleChat.

Hi Longers!

Quote:

I started a wormery 3 or so weeks ago and followed the instructions about not overfeeding to begin with, I probably didn't follow them very well and might have overdone it.

My problem is I have got blue mould and uneaten scraps everywhere. I didn't want to get involved and disturb the worms so early but I fear for their health.

There was a couple of threads which cab linked to which I read but there is not much talk of mould.

Can anybody advise me please?

Blue... Blue and powdery, dusty looking? What kind of food scrap is it on?

I shouldn't have thought that its a problem, but I've taken to keeping torn up we newspaper as a layer on top of the food waste,the worms seem to love it, and they're chomping into scraps and breaking it up so that bits of bigger mold aren't occuring. Breking the food up a bit to begin with seems to be helping too.

longers

Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Posts: 4

Posted: Sat Aug 25, 07 10:09 am Post subject:

Hi cab,

I've just had a poke around and removed the large lumps of blue, they were mainly on the bread pieces I put in.

Is bread ok as it is a cooked food? Everything else is fruit or veg scraps.

Having poked a little I've seen the worms for the first time since they were started.

A friend at work got one for his dad at the same time and their worms are very active and roaming the sides and lid of the container. Mine aren't dead though.

(panic over).

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Sat Aug 25, 07 4:20 pm Post subject:
I haven't tried bread in mine, I usually just wet any spare bread scraps and put it on the garden wall for birds to eat. Bread does go moldy and then all slimey in ordinary compost though, so I rekon its better as bird food than compost.

longers

Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Posts: 4

Posted: Sat Sep 08, 07 8:44 pm Post subject:

I have been so used to living with cats that I never think about saving bread for the birds. Got feeders up for them though.

Wellington Womble - I made some shredded newspaper and have added it as suggested. Do you place the new scraps you add on top of this or lift it up and then replace it?

Sorry for the stupid questions but I'm never afraid to admit my lack of knowledge or ask others who have more experience. (mostly

)

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Sun Sep 09, 07 8:50 am Post subject:
I put new wet, shredded newspaper on top of the old.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Sun Sep 09, 07 9:35 am Post subject:
I wait till they've eaten it (mostly) I think patience is the key to keeing happy worms, although mine are a bit neglected, it seems to be better than fussing over them. They are going to be happier this year though, as they can go in the garage for the winter.

longers

Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Posts: 4

Posted: Sun Sep 09, 07 2:34 pm Post subject:
Thanks for your advice- that just about covers it. I'll leave you and the worms in peace now.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Sun Sep 09, 07 6:32 pm Post subject:
Feel free to keep firing off questions, thats what the site is for

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